Relating to Cooking Methods

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a cooking control method performed by a cooking apparatus for a food item. The method comprises obtaining a unique identifier and cooking data for the food item, and checking for a record of the unique identifier in a memory of the cooking apparatus. If a record of the unique identifier is located in the memory, then the cooking apparatus will not cook the food item. Otherwise a cooking process based on the cooking data to cook the food item is performed. Accordingly, cooking data for a given instance of a food item can only be used once in order to activate a cooking process performed by the cooking apparatus. The present invention also features product recall as well as the ability to track food item sales via a cooking data communications system.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/809,444 filed on 4 Oct. 2010, which is a U.S. National Phase of, andApplicants claim priority from, International Application NumberPCT/EP2008/011013 filed 22 Dec. 2008 and Irish Patent Application No.S2007/0936 filed 21 Dec. 2007, all of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cooking apparatus and method. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a method for cooking afood item, and a cooking apparatus for use with the cooking method.

Various types of ovens for cooking food items are known. With certaincategories of ovens operatives are required to manually interact withoven controls in order provide the necessary input to the oven so thatit will cook a food item as is required. Such ovens can also includepre-programmed or stored cooking processes for various food items sothat to cook a food item an operative needs to manually select anappropriate cooking process based on the type of food item to be cooked.

Other categories of oven are adapted to receive the required inputthrough the use of barcodes or tags attached to a food item, the barcode or tag encoding or storing cooking data for the food item. Theseovens typically comprise or are coupled to a bar code or tag readerwhich is used to receive and transmit the cooking data encoded in thebarcode to a controller, the controller in turn controlling heatingtimes and output levels of the oven based on the cooking data so thatthe cooking of food is carried out.

However, in commercial environments, including retail outlets, thecooking of food items based on such processing suffers from a number ofdrawbacks. One major problem is a lack of control over the re-use ofcooking data, wherein it is common place for operatives to use barcodesor tags on the packaging of one food item, such as a sausage roll, toactivate a cooking process for a second often quite different food item,such as a raw chicken pie. Clearly cooking data for heating a pre-cookedsausage roll is very different from cooking data needed for activating acooking process for a raw chicken pie, both in terms of the requiredheating time and output levels needed. The re-use of such cooking datamay occur for a number of reasons, including that, and using the aboveexample, the raw chicken pie was never intended to be cooked by anoperative using the oven, or that the barcode or tag on the chicken piehas been damaged or defaced, removed or even inadvertently not affixedto the food packaging during the initial product preparations. It willbe appreciated that when relying on predefined cooking processes to cooka food item the quality of any food product which has not been cookedprecisely according to the correct cooking data suited to the productwill clearly be inferior, and will quite often lead to serious cases offood poisoning.

Additional problems with the prior art cooking apparatuses resides intheir inherent inability to deal with the recall and traceability offood items. Product recall is necessary when a food item isinadvertently contaminated during preparation or when ingredients usedin the preparations are somehow contaminated.

It would thus be desirable for a cooking method and cooking apparatuswhich will go someway towards overcoming the above problems, and/orwhich will provide the public and/or industry with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is acknowledged that the term ‘comprise’ may, under varyingjurisdictions be provided with either an exclusive or inclusive meaning.For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise notedexplicitly, the term comprise shall have an inclusive meaning—i.e. thatit may be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed componentsit directly references, but also other non-specified components.Accordingly, the term ‘comprise’ is to be attributed with as broad aninterpretation as possible within any given jurisdiction and thisrationale should also be used when the terms ‘comprised’ and/or‘comprising’ are used.

Further aspects of the present invention will become apparent form theensuing description which is given by way of example only.

Accordingly, in a first aspect there is provided a cooking controlmethod performable by a cooking apparatus on a food item comprising thesteps of:

-   -   obtaining a unique identifier and cooking data for the food        item, and    -   checking for a record of the unique identifier in a memory of        the cooking apparatus,    -   and if a record of the unique identifier is located in the        memory then a cooking process is not performed by the cooking        apparatus and the food item is not cooked,    -   but, if a record of the unique identifier is not located in the        memory, then performing the step of:    -   controlling the cooking apparatus to perform a cooking process        based on the cooking data to cook the food item.

In a second aspect there is provided a cooking apparatus for a food itemcomprising:

-   -   input means for obtaining a unique identifier and cooking data        for the food item, and    -   cooking control means for checking for a record of the unique        identifier in a memory of the cooking apparatus, and if a record        of the unique identifier is located in the memory then the        cooking control means is adapted to control the cooking        apparatus so that a cooking process is not performed, but if a        record of the unique identifier is not located in the memory,        the cooking control means is adapted to control the cooking        apparatus to perform a cooking process based on the cooking data        to cook the food item.

In a third aspect there is provided a cooking data communications systemcomprising at least one cooking apparatus,

-   -   in which the or each cooking apparatus is coupled to a central        communications server via a communications network, and    -   at least one user computer is coupled to the central        communications server, and    -   wherein, the central communications server is adapted for        controlling data communications between each cooking apparatus        and user computer.

Further advantageous effects of the present invention are achieved bythe embodiments set out in the dependent claims.

The present invention provides a cooking control method and cookingapparatus adapted for storing the unique identifier of a cooked fooditem. This ensures that a cooking process will only be activated forfood items associated with a previously unread unique identifier.Accordingly, cooking data for a given instance of a food item can onlybe used once in order to activate a cooking process performed by thecooking apparatus. Since no two food items will have the same identifierif an operative attempts to re-use a previously read identifier to cooka food item then the cooking apparatus will not perform a cookingprocess based on the cooking data to cook the food item. Instead, thecooking apparatus will generate a visual and/or audible signal ormessage on a user interface or display of the cooking apparatus to theeffect that the food item has already been cooked. Once a cookingprocess has been completed the cooking apparatus only retains in itsstorage memory the unique identifier of the food item so it can thenreference this record to ensure that a cooking process is initiated forthe unique identifier only once.

Furthermore, if a food item has been recalled by the manufacturer thecooking apparatus will not cook the item since the memory of theapparatus will have received and will store in memory a record of theunique identifier, thereby preventing cooking of the food item.

The application of a unique identifier for each food item also ensuresthat each food item is uniquely traceable within a cooking datacommunications system. This enables features such as product recall aswell as the ability to track food item sales via the system.

Furthermore, the cooking apparatus may reject a food item for cooking ifthe date on which the food item is attempted to be cooked is beyond thefood items sell by date. Additionally, the cooking apparatus may rejecta food item for cooking if an attempt is made to cook more than one fooditem wherein the food items are incompatible, that is, they are unableto be cooked together, or if the brand of the food is unable to becooked in the oven or if an attempt is made to cook too many food itemstogether.

Additional advantages follow from the compensation features of thepresent invention, including that a cooking process will automaticallybe adjusted depending on the input voltage variation from a predefinedrange. If there is a temperature loss in the cooking cavity, such as ifthe cooking apparatus door is opened during the cooking process acorrection factor is applied to compensate for lost energy. If two ormore food items are scanned then an appropriate correction is made tothe cooking process. Each food item also has associated cookinginstructions which includes a cook index. Such a cook index beingspecific to the type (composition) of a food item and enables productsof different weights of the same composition, or similar composition tobe cooked according to the index number. Such an index number will beencoded in the cooking instructions to cook the food item as required.Once that cooking process is complete the oven only records in memorythat the event has taken place, and this is done by recording the uniqueidentifier. Such a feature also allows for regular changes to be made tothe cooking processes which are to be performed by the cooking apparatussince all cooking data may be encoded in a barcode applied to thepackaging or an RFID tag, and it is this stored information which isdynamically converted into a cooking process by conversion meansassociated with the cooking apparatus.

It will be understood that a barcode in the context of the presentinvention may be or is any optical machine readable representation ofdata, and may be a linear barcode (i.e. one dimensional) or a patternedbarcode (i.e. two dimensional).

Each food item also has a cook index number and this is printed on thepackaging or a food item tag. Such a cook index number is specific tothe type (composition) of a food item and enables products of differentweights of the same composition, or similar composition to be cookedaccording to the index number. A food item may be manually cooked byinputting the cook index number on an input keypad provided on thecooking apparatus. To initiate a cooking process according to the barcode on the food item packaging, the index number is thus inputted intothe keypad by an operative. To activate the keypad to facilitate its usefor receiving the index number an approval code is first transmitted tothe cooking apparatus (such as from a system administrator), theapproval code encoding a set of instructions to allow activation of thekey pad. In the event that the reader is unsuitable or the connectionbetween the reader and the cooking apparatus controller is broken, thenthe use of the cook index number can be used to manually cook a fooditem. Use of cook index in manual mode is a temporary measure only andoven will default to automatic mode on oven shut down.

It will be understood that a suitable cooking apparatus for use with thepresent invention would be an oven with combination microwave andconvection cooking, as well as a steamer oven. The cooking elements maycomprise two fan-assisted convection elements and one or more microwavemagnetron(s). These are controlled by a main circuit board whichconnects to a smaller display board carrying a bespoke VFD (vacuumfluorescent display) and an interface to two front-panel membrane switchsub-assemblies.

In instances of the cooking apparatus being a steamer oven the use of aplurality of individually controlled magnetrons (such as threemagnetrons) at various power setting is used to gain the desired result.Food items intended to be cooked in the steam oven will be manufacturedwith a specific moisture content to generate the steam. A cookingprocess based on cooking data for a food item will use either one, twoor all three magnetrons at various power levels to apply the energy tothe product to generate steam within the product and packaging of theproduct. The ability to individually control the power levels,activation time and the positioning of the magnetrons within theapparatus removes the necessity to manually stir a food product during acook cycle thus preventing cold spots normally associated with this typeof microwave cooking. Such a steamer oven does not require any waterconnections as the steam is generated by the water in the food item. Thedistinct advantage of such a steam oven over a conventional microwave isthe ability to control each magnetron separately by the use of specificcooking data in the unique product identifier tag, such as the barcodeor RFID tag.

The present invention thus requires an oven that can be controlled bythe contents of encoded data in a food item barcode or RFID tag, andthat can exchange data with the central communications server for thepurposes of stock control and diagnostics. Communications for thecooking data communication system for the present invention utilise aGPRS service supported by GSM cell-phone providers. The cookingapparatus is thus an oven which is adapted to interpret cooking dataaffixed to food items to be cooked and initiate a customised cookingprocess for that food item. The cooking apparatus also comprises acooking control means which utilises a modem to communicate stock,recall and diagnostics data with the central communications server. Theuse of unique identifiers provides the means for facilitating a systemin which provides for distribution tracking, raising orders, deliverydockets, invoices and other such reports, and diagnostics aids.

It will be understood that the central communications controllerattendant in the cooking data communications system comprise computinghardware, database software and a web-based user interface, eithershared between all end users or replicated for each end user.

The cooking apparatus is further adapted to shutdown once a cookingcycle is complete if the cooked food item is not removed from the ovenin a predetermined time. The automatic shutdown will occur after alapsed time determined by the oven software based on the food item thathas been cooked. For example, bread products which could have a tendencyto ignite and cause fire will cause the oven to shut down sooner than awet dish item like a main meal. This feature prevents fire and smokegeneration and acts as a safety feature not available in similar typecombination convection ovens which operate with a preset cavitytemperature. The benefit of this feature is fire safety as afterautomatic shutdown all power is removed from the heating elements and amessage is displayed on the display of the cooking apparatus to openoven door and discard all items.

The cooking apparatus of the present invention is also adapted for useby the elderly in the home. Such an apparatus will combine all of theabove features with the additional feature that if a food product is notremoved from the cooking apparatus when cooked, then after a specifiedtime the cooking apparatus will transmit a signal or post a call to theuser's mobile phone or landline as a reminder that the food item isready. If the food item is not removed, then a call to the next of kin,carer or emergency services can be made. Additionally, the cookingapparatus will call a carer or the next of kin if nothing has beencooked all day.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdescription of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only,with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing the steps in a cooking method accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block schematic of components in a cooking apparatus for usein performing the cooking method according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is block schematic showing a cooking data communications systemaccording to a further aspect of the present invention, the cookingsystem comprising a plurality of the cooking apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a stylised schematic showing the cooking data communicationssystem of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is a screenshot of a user interface for generating barcodes foruse with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIG. 1, there is shown aflow diagram providing the steps in a cooking control method accordingto the present invention. At step 1, a food item to be cooked isprepared. This step will involve numerous sub-stages, including theselection of ingredients, the preparation of those ingredients as wellas any initial pre-cooking of the food item and the performance ofchecks on the food item to ensure that it conforms with any qualityassurance requirements which may be necessary. At step 2, the preparedfood item is packaged.

At step 3, a unique identifier and cooking information for the food itemis generated, and at step 4, a barcode encoding the unique identifierand cooking data is applied on the packaging. The unique identifier maybe formatted to be an encoded batch code together with a serial numberwhich is unique to the instance of the food item. No two food items,even if they are the same product, will have the same unique identifier.The cooking data applied to the packaging includes cooking apparatuscompatibility data, combination cooking data, temperature range data,weight range data, cooking apparatus power level data, and stage cookingdata. Compatibility data describe how a food item can be cooked togetherwith other items, for example some items must be cooked individually,others can be cooked in combination with only certain other producttypes, and others may be cooked only in specified cooking apparatuswhich are suitable having regard to the nature of the food item. Thecooking information is computed according to the specificcharacteristics of the food item being cooked, including the food itemingredients, fat content sugar content, ratio of fats to solids, watercontent, particle size, density, quid, and overall shape, weight andsize of the food item. Also applied on the packaging is food item statusinformation which may comprise one or more of a food item sell by date,a brand identifier for the food item and/or a food item batchidentifier.

Although reference in step 4 is to the use of barcodes (such as onedimensional or two dimensional barcode) for encoding the uniqueidentifier and cooking data, it will be understood that this informationcan be associated with a food item in a number of different ways. Forexample, it can be stored in a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagapplied to the food item, or it can be manually inputted by a user withthe use of a input keypad located on the cooking apparatus, and or itcan be received into a data input port of the cooking apparatus adaptedfor receiving data via a wired or wireless transmission network coupledbetween the cooking apparatus and a computing server. Reference to theuse of barcodes should thus in no way be seen as limiting on the mannerin which the unique identifier and cooking data is applied to the fooditem for subsequent input to the cooking apparatus.

At step 5, when the food item is to be cooked by a cooking apparatus,the unique identifier and the cooking data are read by an input means,such as a barcode reader, coupled to the cooking apparatus. At step 6,the unique identifier is used to determine whether a cooking processbased on the cooking data is to be performed by the cooking apparatus.Such a determination involves, at step 7, a cooking control means of thecooking apparatus scanning a memory of the cooking apparatus for arecord of the unique identifier read by the input means. If the uniqueidentifier is located in the memory this indicates that the uniqueidentifier has previously been read by the cooking apparatus, and thattherefore a food item having that unique identifier has been cooked on aprevious occasion. This step may further comprise checking for a recordof the unique identifier in memory of any of a plurality of cookingapparatuses linked together via a communications network, or for arecord of the unique identifier in a memory of a central communicationsserver linked to the cooking apparatus.

Thus, if the presence of the unique identifier for the food item isdetected at step 7, then the cooking apparatus does not perform thecooking process, with the result that the food item is not cooked atstep 8 and a message that the food item will not be cooked is output onthe display means of the cooking apparatus. A log of the failed attemptto cook the food item is optionally maintained by storing a furtherrecord of the unique identification in the memory and/or sending therecord to a central communications server.

Conversely, if the unique identifier is not located in the memory atstep 7, then it is determined that the cooking process is to beperformed. A record of the unique identifier in then stored in thememory at step 9, and the cooking data is converted into a cookingprocess to be performed by the cooking apparatus at step 10. The fooditem is then cooked according to the cooking process at step 11. Ifunique identifiers for two or more food items are read, and bothidentifiers are not located in the memory during thedetermination/checking step 6, then the cooking apparatus may alsogenerate a combination cooking process enabling the two or more fooditems to be cooked at the same time by the cooking apparatus.

Once the food item has been cooked, food item status data is transmittedat step 12 to a central communications server. Such food item statusdata will include data indicating that the food item corresponding tothe unique identifier has been cooked.

With reference to FIG. 2, shown are components in a cooking apparatus 20for use when performing the cooking method according to FIG. 1. Thecooking apparatus 20 comprises input means 22 for obtaining a uniqueidentifier and cooking information on packaging applied to the fooditem. The input means 22 may be a barcode reader for reading a barcodeencoding the unique identifier and cooking data applied to packaging forthe food item; a radio frequency transceiver means for receiving theunique identifier and the cooking information from a radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) tag applied to the food item, a input keypadlocated on the cooking apparatus, and/or a data input port for receivingthe unique identifier and cooking data via a wired or wirelesstransmission network coupled between the cooking apparatus and acomputing server.

Also shown is cooking control means 24, which is a data processor forcontrolling the cooking apparatus. Such a control means 24 will havefunctionality for processing the unique identifier and for scanning amemory or storage means 30 of the cooking apparatus. The control means24 will also control the cooking apparatus to perform a cooking processbased on cooking data. The cooking apparatus may also include a drivemeans 26 which drives a magnetron for cooking a food item according tothe cooking data for the food item. The cooking control means 24 isfurther coupled to cooking data conversion means 28 for converting thecooking data into the cooking process performed by the drive means 26.The cooking information conversion means 28 is further adapted togenerate a combination cooking process when the unique identifier andthe cooking data for two or more food items are read, the combinationcooking process enabling the two or more food items to be cooked at thesame time by the cooking apparatus. Also shown is a storage means 30which operates as a memory for storing a unique identifier if it isdetermined that a cooking process is to be performed. The storage means30 may be coupled locally to the cooking control means 24 of the cookingapparatus, or may alternatively be located remotely and thus connectedto the cooking apparatus 20 via a communications network. The cookingapparatus 20 will also include a user interface 32 which is formed as anoperator panel and includes external switches and a visual display meansfor displaying messages to a user.

Although not shown, it will be understood that the cooking apparatus 20also includes a main body which defines an external appearance of thecooking apparatus, a cooking cavity in the main body in which is cookeda food item and a door for closing the cooking cavity

The cooking apparatus 20 further includes voltage compensation means 34for adjusting the cooking process to compensate for a variation involtage input received by the cooking apparatus 20 from a predefinedvoltage range. To enable such functionality the cooking apparatus 20also comprises voltage sensing means 36 to determine voltage inputreceived by the cooking apparatus 20. Also shown is temperaturecompensation means 38 for adjusting a cooking process to compensate fora variation in temperature in a cooking cavity of the cooking apparatusfrom a predefined cooking temperature range for a food item. Use oftemperature sensing means 40, in conjunction with the cooking controlmeans 24 may be used to determine the operating temperature within thecooking cavity and therefore the variation in the temperature in thecooking cavity from the predefined cooking temperature range.Additionally, the cooking apparatus 20 comprises food weightcompensation means 42 for adjusting the cooking process to compensatefor a variation in weight of a food item from a predefined cookingweight range for the food item. To determine the weight of the food itemand the variation in the weight of the food item from the predefinedcooking weight range for the food item the cooking apparatus comprisesweight sensing means 44.

FIG. 3 shows a cooking data communications system 50 according to afurther aspect of the present invention. The cooking data communicationssystem 50 comprises a plurality of cooking apparatuses, indicated ovens52. The cooking apparatuses 52 are coupled to a central communicationsserver 54 via a communications network 56. A plurality of user computers58 are coupled to the central communications server 54 such that thecentral communications controller 54 is adapted for controlling datacommunications between the cooking apparatuses 52 and the user computers58. Each cooking apparatus 52 comprises means, such as a GSM/GPRS datamodem, to transmit and receive data to and from the centralcommunications server 54. In the instance shown, the centralcommunications server 54 is a web-server and communications between eachcooking apparatus and the central communications system is via theInternet, although such communications could equally be implementedusing a LAN

The cooking data communications system 50 facilitates the transmissionof food item status data from each cooking apparatus 52 to the centralcommunications controller 54. Such data may be used by the centralcommunications controller 54 to update information stored relating to afood item, such as that a food item has been cooked. Additionally, thecentral communications controller 54 is adapted to transmit data to eachcooking apparatus, such as if a food item has been recalled.

FIG. 4 is stylised schematic of FIG. 3. showing multiple cookingapparatuses, indicated as ovens 60, which communicate via a cell-phoneprovider's existing GSM/GPRS network 62 and the Internet 64 to a centralweb server 66. The web server 66 executes software 68 which runs oncomputer hardware 70. The software 68 contains or is connected to adatabase 72 which stores the current state and history of the system ofthe ovens 60 and their transactions (such as orders, deliveries,invoices, faults and the like.). The web server 66 is accessed bymultiple end-users 74 via any Internet enabled computer using anInternet browser. Access to specific information may also be is limitedwith the use of authentication means, such as account username/passwordprompts. End users can therefore hide pertinent data or generate orders,delivery dockets, invoices and/or reports. End-users may includedistribution staff responsible for supplying the food items and theretailers in whose premises the ovens 60 are installed. Also shown isweb administrator 76 which has access to the web server 66 in the sameway as user computers 74, but using a special account which grantsadministrator privileges. It will be understood that an administrator 76is a concept that describes a user with special privileges. Optionally,distributors 78 are provided with a GSM enabled tag reader 80 so thatpackaged food items can be automatically tracked during distribution.

A further feature of the present invention relates to the mechanism bywhich the barcodes are made available to operatives for application tofood item packaging. Once the required cooking information has beenestablished for a particular food item or range of food items, thisinformation is fixed and applied to a range of similar products ofvarying weights within a weight band. The cooking information is fixedand stored on the web-server 66. In operation, a manufacturer requests aset of barcodes from the web-server 66 and inputs certain fields such asbest before date and batch number. A user interface 82 providing suchfunctionality is shown in FIG. 5. The web-server 66 thus assigns aunique identifier to each barcode and then the web-server authorisesthese barcodes and sends them to the manufacturer. The manufacturerprints and applies the barcodes to the packaging of a food item. Themanufacturer then scans the barcodes to verify them and thisverification data is sent back to the web-server where it iscross-referenced with the earlier request for the barcode from themanufacturer. The web-server 66 deems these barcodes to be indistribution so that once the barcode is read by a reader associatedwith the cooking apparatus it is either recorded as cooked, rejected, orrecalled. Such food item status information is transmitted to the serverto facilitate automatic tracking of food items until the time they areeither recalled or cooked at a retail outlet premises.

Use of a food item batch identifier by the present invention alsofacilitates the implementation of a highly effective food item recallscheme. When a batch of food items is desired to be recalled, such as ifthe batch of food items is contaminated, a signal encoding the food itembatch identifier for the batch is sent to the memory of each cookingapparatus. The central communications server is thus adapted to transmita record comprising a unique identifier for a recalled food item intothe memory of each cooking apparatus coupled to the network so that acooking process is not able to be performed by any cooking apparatus inthe network for the recalled food item. When a food item having the fooditem batch identifier in its unique identifier is obtained by a cookingapparatus reader then the cooking apparatus will not apply the cookingdata encoded in the barcode and will thus not cook the food item andwill instead display a message on the display of the cooking apparatusthat the food item is on recall and to contact the supplier. As thecooking apparatus is adapted to store a record of the unique identifierfor each food item cooked, it is also possible to cross reference thisinformation with the food item batch identifier to identify the date,time and location for each food item that has been cooked. Such afeature would be helpful to the relevant authorities to identify whereand when a contaminated food item was cooked and therefore consumed. Itwill also facilitate identification of a consumer by means of restaurantrecords, credit card payments and the like, as well as being able toimmediately identify remaining stocks of unsold food items that may bein storage or currently being distributed.

The central communications server is adapted to transmit amended cookingdata to the memory of each cooking apparatus coupled to the network sothat a cooking process performed by the cooking apparatus is based onthe amended cooking data instead of the cooking data originally appliedto the food item. This is particularly useful if an error in the cookingdata has been made during the original processing of the food item, suchas when a barcode of RFID tag is affixed to food item packaging, andavoids the need to do a total recall of the food item to amend theincorrect cooking data.

The web-server 66 also facilitates the generation of pertinent reports,including retailer, delivery docket, retailer invoice, order, fault andstatus reports on all retailers by region and on all distributors.

The web-server 66 is also adapted to provide a real-time diagnosticsinterface to each oven 60, and this includes the ability to take controlof the oven and to receive information concerning its pertinentparameters such as cavity temperature, well-being of heating elementsand the like. Additional background diagnostics are carried on each ovenperiodically and data concerning the status of an oven is transmitted tothe administrator 76.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of exampleonly and it should be appreciated that additions and/or modificationsmay be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof as definedin the appended claims.

1. A cooking control method performable by a cooking apparatus on a fooditem comprising the steps of: obtaining a unique identifier and cookingdata for the food item, and checking for a record of the uniqueidentifier in a memory of the cooking apparatus, and if a record of theunique identifier is located in the memory then a cooking process is notperformed by the cooking apparatus and the food item is not cooked, but,if a record of the unique identifier is not located in the memory, thenperforming the step of: controlling the cooking apparatus to perform acooking process based on the cooking data to cook the food item.
 2. Acooking control method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the furtherstep of storing the unique identifier in the memory of the cookingapparatus.
 3. A cooking control method as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising checking for a record of the unique identifier in memory ofany of a plurality of cooking apparatuses linked together via acommunications network.
 4. A cooking control method as claimed in claim1, further comprising checking for a record of the unique identifier ina memory of a central communications server linked to the cookingapparatus.
 5. A cookery control method as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising controlling the cooking apparatus to shut down if a food itemthat has been placed in and cooked by the cooking apparatus is notremoved from the cooking apparatus within a predetermined amount oftime.
 6. A cooking control method as claimed in claim 1, in which themethod comprises the step of encoding the unique identifier and thecooking data in a barcode applied to packaging of the food item.
 7. Acooking control method as claimed in claim 6, in which the uniqueidentifier and cooking data are supplied to the cooking apparatus byreading the barcode with a barcode reader of the cooking apparatus.
 8. Acooking method as claimed in claim 1, in which the method comprises thefurther steps of generating a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagfor storing the unique identifier and the cooking information andapplying the RFID tag to the food item.
 9. A cooking control method asclaimed in claim 8, in which the unique identifier and cooking data aresupplied to the cooking apparatus by data transmission from the RFID tagto a radio frequency transceiver of the cooking apparatus.
 10. A cookingcontrol method as claimed in claim 1, in which the unique identifier andcooking data are supplied to the cooking apparatus from a wired orwireless transmission network coupled to a computing server.
 11. Acooking control method as claimed in claim 1, in which the uniqueidentifier and cooking data are supplied to the cooking apparatus usingan input keypad of the cooking apparatus.
 12. A cooking control methodas claimed in claim 1, comprising the step of generating food itemstatus information for the food item, the food item status informationcomprises one or more of: a food item sell by date, a brand identifierfor the food item, a food item batch identifier and a serial codenumber.
 13. A cooking control method as claimed in claim 12, in whichthe food item status information is encoded in a barcode or stored in anRFID tag applied to the food item.
 14. A cooking control method asclaimed in claim 1, comprising the further step of controlling thecooking apparatus to adjust the cooking process to compensate for avariation in voltage received to power the cooking apparatus from apredefined input voltage range.
 15. A cooking control method as claimedin claim 1, comprising the further step of controlling the cookingapparatus to adjust the cooking process to compensate for a variation intemperature in a cooking cavity of the cooking apparatus from apredefined cooking temperature range for the food item.
 16. A cookingcontrol method as claimed claim 1, comprising the further step ofcontrolling the cooking apparatus to adjust the cooking process tocompensate for a variation in weight of the food item to be cooked froma predefined cooking weight range for the food item.
 17. A cookingcontrol method as claimed in claim 1, comprising the further step ofcontrolling the cooking apparatus to generate a combination cookingprocess when the unique identifiers for two or more food items areobtained, the combination cooking process enabling the two or more fooditems to be cooked at the same time by the cooking apparatus.